Wavetek was an electronic test equipment manufacturer that made

function generator In electrical engineering, a function generator is usually a piece of electronic test equipment or software used to generate different types of electrical waveforms over a wide range of frequencies. Some of the most common waveforms produced by ...

signal generator A signal generator is one of a class of Electronics, electronic devices that generates electrical signals with set properties of amplitude, frequency, and wave shape. These generated signals are used as a stimulus for electronic measurements, typ ...

s and service monitors. Although Wavetek did not invent the function generator, it made them commercially popular. The company faced a decline starting in the late 1970s, which eventually resulted in their sale to Torrey Investments in 1991. Since then, they have continued to produce low-cost digital instrumentation.

History

Before Terrence Gooding, president and CEO of Wavetek, took Wavetek private in 1991, the company had 800 employees, 260 of whom worked in San Diego. The company had plants in the US states California, Florida, Indiana, and New York. It had overseas locations in Germany, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. In 1998, Wandel & Goltermann purchased Wavetek, and changed its name to Wavetek, Wandel & Goltermann (WWG). In January 2000, test equipment manufacturer

Fluke Corporation Fluke Corporation is an American manufacturer of industrial test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment, including electronic test equipment. It was started in 1948 by John Fluke while he was employed at General Electric. History John Fluk ...

acquired Wavetek's Precision Management Division, and announced their intention to keep the Wavetek name for existing products. WWG kept Wavetek's LAN business unit, cable networks, fiber optics and wireless test gear.

Merging

In February 2000, WWG merged with hand-held test equipment developer TTC. In 2001, Wavetek's LAN tester division which developed the LanTEK series Ethernet test instruments was acquired by

IDEAL Industries Ideal Industries is an American company that produces electrical connector, connectors, hand tools, electronic test equipment, testers, and measuring instrument, meters for the electrical power industry, electrical and telecommunications industri ...

Acquisition

On August 3, 2005, optical communications company

JDSU JDS Uniphase Corporation (JDSU) was an American company that designed and manufactured products for optical communications networks, communications test and measurement equipment, lasers, optical solutions for authentication and decorative applica ...

acquired Acterna for $760 million, which became part of JDSU's Test and Measurement Group.

References

External links

Archived website of Wavetek
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

LanTEK IV certifier
Electronics companies of the United States Electronic test equipment manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in San Diego {{US-manufacturing-company-stub