As a Director of RF Engineering, Umesh Babu Manedi is responsible for leading the engineering department at SWR (Systems With Reliability). He has driven the overall growth of the company by employing more scientific approaches to designing and testing antennas, utilizing existing software to conceptualize new ideas, creating essential software that has been vital to reducing the latency in building these antennas. His meticulous nature and great attention to detail have ensured that the company produces reliable and highly durable antennas, markedly increasing customer confidence and garnering their trust in the product and brand as a whole.
Umesh first earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree in engineering in 2015 from Anna University, a prestigious institution known for cultivating professionals with strong technical expertise, professional skills, and ethical values. Two years later, he would go on to earn a Master’s Degree from the New York Institute of Technology, renowned for providing career-oriented professional education and research and scholarship opportunities.
During his academic journey, Umesh was fortunate enough to be introduced to an organizational setting early on while interning at Electronics Corporation of India Limited, a private organization specialized in constructing professional-grade equipment across various industries, including Defense, Civil Aviation, Telecommunication, and Space Education. While performing his duties in this internship, he gained experience in Communication Radio and Signal Processing. He also worked as a research assistant under Ziqian Dong, a distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NYIT. Umesh’s research was focussed on Software Defined Radio using HackRF One, an open-source hardware platform designed for testing and developing modern and next-generation radio technologies.
Umesh later started his professional career by building an accurate Temperature controller, using omega CN7-A software for an in-house, state-of-the-art engineering materials laboratory at Atlas Evaluation & Inspection Services. For context, AEIS performs inspections for Public & private properties in New York City before giving a comprehensive report about the condition of industrial components. Later on, he then transitioned into a team responsible for replacing existing Radio systems in New York City Transit with high coverage Radio systems. It is also important to note that NYCT is the busiest and largest transit system in North America with over 8 million daily trips. Using his expertise in Radio Communication, he took on the role of a project manager, ensuring all the contracts followed both NYCT standards and industry regulations, resolving issues to maintain the project’s original design intent and facilitating communication among stakeholders to address compliance matters, emphasizing safety and reliability standards.
When COVID first hit New York City, Umesh was in search of new job opportunities before eventually finding SWR, a gem from the small town of Ebensburg, PA. Founded in 1963, SWR has a longstanding history of over 50 years in manufacturing FM, TV, and weather antennas, along with associated accessories and parts. Umesh started off as RF design engineer responsible for building TV Antennas before he quickly started learning to design FM Antennas & weather antennas under the guidance of a retired NASA Engineer (who was an advisor of SWR).
Currently, Umesh is a member of the IEEE, the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcast Engineers, and the Society of Broadcast Engineers. Being an active part of these highly distinguished chapters, he has used the knowledge he has gained to stay at the forefront of industry improvements, employing these approaches at SWR to ensure that all antennas constructed under his supervision maintain the highest possible quality.
Over the last 3 years, Umesh’s team has built 50+ antennas per year, generating over $850,000 of annual revenue for the company. These orders partially come from returning customers who stayed with SWR because they were satisfied with the performance and durable components used in the antennas (which were built in compliance with the Federal Communications Commission standards) and the highly responsive customer service. A significant portion of these orders have also come from newer customers who wanted to upgrade their existing antennas, and were drawn to the company by the positive reception from previous customers.
Umesh Babu Manedi’s leadership at SWR exemplifies a journey marked by academic excellence, diverse professional experiences, and a commitment to innovation. Under his guidance, SWR continues to thrive, producing high-quality antennas that not only meet industry standards but also foster customer satisfaction and trust in the reliability of their products.
