B.S.E.E.
Mr. Gavrilovich obtained a solid technical foundation at the University Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. He pursued a curricula related to telecommunications and RF and completed courses such as Digital Communications, Analog Communications, Digital Signals and Systems, Probabilistic Methods, Radio Communication Circuits, Signal and System Analysis, Lines Fields and Waves, and Analog Filter Design. In addition to attaining a firm understanding of engineering principles, he also began developing an appreciation for the challenges of product design and development through the practical engineering offered at the University. For example, Mr. Gavrilovich worked with two other students in a rewarding senior project lab where their small student team elected to design and build a spread spectrum radio. In addition to applying engineering theory to design RF, analog, and digital circuits, the small team purchased components, anticipated lead times, and built and tested circuits.

Electrical Engineer
After graduating from U of I, Mr. Gavrilovich joined Motorola as an RF design engineer. Working in the Radius division, he designed, built and tested analog and RF circuits for the GP300 two-way radio. In addition to other accomplishments, Mr. Gavrilovich successfully reduced spurious emissions and increased RF power output by significantly modifying the printed circuit board layout of the radio. Copper traces, components and layers were carefully repositioned, analyzed, simulated, and implemented in hardware to develop an efficient board layout. In addition to electrical circuit development, Mr. Gavrilovich also implemented cross-functional solutions. For example, he engaged mechanical engineering principles to overcome design obstacles by developing a heat transfer device that efficiently reduced the internal temperature of critical components in an RF amplifier module. Radio size restrictions resulted in a radio architecture where the amplifier module was positioned in a parallel plane opposite the radio chassis and isolated from any significant heat sink. While accommodating large manufacturing tolerances within the radio, Mr. Gavrilovich’s device directed heat from the amplifier to the chassis. The mechanical solution increased the expected life of the power amplifier and enabled the two-way radio to meet ETSI standards and other strict specifications.

Mr. Gavrilovich continued his engineering career at Motorola in the Wireless Data Group where he developed the transmitter circuitry for a 2.4 GHz PCMCIA wireless LAN card. Since the project was developed prior to the adoption of the current 802.11 standard, a proprietary protocol was utilized and the design team was engaged in identifying and overcoming novel issues associated with such a project. Because of the early timing of the project, very few RFICs (radio frequency integrated circuits) operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency range were commercially available. In addition to implementing many functions using discrete components, Mr. Gavrilovich worked with IC manufacturers to develop small devices that strategically integrated RF functions while maintaining the appropriate isolation between the circuits and conforming to the PCMCIA form factor.