Spanawave
Spanawave Corporation, founded in 2002 and based in Roseville, California, designs RF and microwave test and measurement equipment — including power meters, sensors, amplifiers, scalar network analyzers, and signal generators — for defense, aerospace, and wireless communications customers worldwide via exclusive distributor Liberty Test Equipment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersRoseville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Spanawave does
Spanawave Corporation is a privately held US company, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Roseville, California, that designs and supplies RF and microwave test and measurement equipment. The product portfolio includes microwave power meters, power sensors (including USB power sensors), ultra-broadband solid-state microwave power amplifiers, scalar network analyzers, calibration kits, and microwave signal generators. Core technical differentiation rests on solid-state parallel MMIC design and the Spatium™ spatial combining architecture (licensed from CAP Wireless), which enable ultra-broadband coverage from 10 MHz to 50 GHz with output power up to 10W, eliminating band-switching in many applications and replacing traveling-wave-tube amplifiers in selected use cases. The portfolio was materially expanded in January 2016 when Spanawave acquired the Test and Measurement product lines of Giga-tronics, including power amplifiers, power meters/sensors, and network measurement equipment, carried out in phases under the Spanawave/Giga-tronics co-brand.
Spanawave serves defense and aerospace customers (electronic warfare, radar, ECM/ECCM, satellite system simulation), wireless communications R&D and base-station manufacturers, general R&D laboratories and manufacturing test environments, and EMI/EMC compliance labs. The company sells exclusively through Liberty Test Equipment, which acts as the worldwide distributor and handles all customer-facing technical support, calibration, repair, and in-warranty service. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of specialized instruments and recurring calibration/repair services on the installed base, with quote-based pricing typical of capital test equipment. The firm operates with 11–50 employees and is led by CEO Helio Sakaya; no venture capital, private equity, or parent-company ownership has been disclosed. There is no indication of public listing, recent fundraising, or material expansion events beyond the 2016 acquisition in the available data.
Spanawave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spanawave
- Legal name
- Spanawave Corporation
- Website
- https://spanawave.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Spanawave Corporation, founded in 2002 and based in Roseville, California, designs RF and microwave test and measurement equipment — including power meters, sensors, amplifiers, scalar network analyzers, and signal generators — for defense, aerospace, and wireless communications customers worldwide via exclusive distributor Liberty Test Equipment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spanawave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- RF and Microwave Test and Measurement Equipment
- NAICS
- Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)
- SIC
- Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services) (IMAGAFAH)
Keywords
Where Spanawave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Roseville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spanawave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of microwave test and measurement equipment including power meters, power sensors, microwave power amplifiers, scalar network analyzers, calibration kits, and signal generators. Products are sold as standalone instruments with various configuration options.
- Calibration and Repair Services: Calibration and repair services for all Spanawave/Giga-tronics products. Liberty Test Equipment handles all calibration, repair, and in-warranty service needs as the exclusive distributor.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Spanawave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spanawave designs, manufactures, and sells microwave and RF test and measurement instruments including power meters, power sensors, USB power sensors, microwave power amplifiers, scalar network analyzers, and microwave signal generators. The portfolio, expanded through the 2016 acquisition of Giga-tronics test and measurement product lines, targets defense, aerospace, wireless communications, and general-purpose laboratory applications requiring broadband frequency coverage from 10 MHz to 50 GHz.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Microwave Power Meters (8650B, 8650A, 8540C, 8500A, Model 58542 VXI series) Universal and peak power meters for microwave power measurement across broad frequency ranges, used in defense, wireless R&D, and laboratory test applications. Includes 8650B Series Universal Power Meter, 8650A Series Universal Power Meter, 8540C Series Universal Power Meter, 8500A Series Peak Power Meter, and Model 58542 VXI Power Meter, with >1,750 readings/sec over GPIB on 8650B.
- USB Power Sensors (GT-8551B, GT-8552B, GT-8553B, GT-8554B, GT-8555B) PC-based USB power sensors spanning 10 MHz to 26.5 GHz for average, peak, true-RMS average, and pulse profile measurements. Includes GT-8551B (100 MHz–8 GHz, Average/Peak), GT-8552B (100 MHz–8 GHz, Average/Peak/Pulse Profile), GT-8553B (10 MHz–18 GHz, True-RMS Average), GT-8554B (10 MHz–26.5 GHz, True-RMS Average), and GT-8555B (100 MHz–20 GHz, Average/Peak/Pulse Profile), used with Measurement Xpress software.
- Power Sensors (CW, Modulated Average, Peak) Microwave power sensors for CW power measurement, modulated average power measurement, and peak power measurement across wide frequency ranges, used with Spanawave power meters for defense, wireless, and laboratory applications.
- Microwave Power Amplifiers (GT-1000B, GT-1020A) Ultra-broadband solid-state microwave power amplifiers with exceptional pulse performance and modulated signal fidelity, covering 10 MHz to 50 GHz and up to 10W. Models include GT-1000B (10W, 100 MHz to 20 GHz) using CAP Wireless Spatium spatial combining architecture, and GT-1020A (1/2 Watt, 100 MHz to 20 GHz), intended for wireless communications, defense EW, radar testing, and general-purpose microwave laboratory use.
- 8003 Microwave Scalar Network Analyzer Microwave scalar network analyzer for network measurement in RF and microwave test applications, used with associated calibration kits and network analyzer cables.
- 2500B Series Microwave Signal Generators Microwave signal generators with ultra-low phase noise (-109 dBc/Hz at 10 GHz and 10 kHz offset), Automation Xpress software, plug-and-play drivers, and soft front panels for automatic test systems and enhanced user interface.
- Network Analyzer Accessories (Cables and Calibration Kits) Network analyzer cables and calibration kits available as accessories for the 8003 Microwave Scalar Network Analyzer.
- Calibration and Repair Services Calibration, repair, and in-warranty services for all Spanawave/Giga-tronics products, performed through Liberty Test Equipment as exclusive worldwide distributor.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2000 readings/sec measurement speed for GT-8550B USB Power Sensors
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Spanawave
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Spanawave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Spanawave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Liberty Test EquipmentcoreLiberty Test Equipment was selected as the exclusive worldwide distributor for all Spanawave products. They handle all customer interface for technical questions along with calibration, repair, and in-warranty service needs. This partnership was established as part of Spanawave's acquisition of Giga-tronics product lines to ensure seamless customer support during the transition.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Spanawave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Instruments (NI / Emerson): Provider of modular instrumentation and PXI-based RF test solutions used in defense, wireless, and R&D. Comparable as a T&M platform vendor, though its core strength is software-defined modular instruments versus Spanawave's traditional box-form-factor microwave instruments.
- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (Microwave Electronics): Provides high-power solid-state microwave amplifiers and electronics for radar, EW, and satellite communications applications. Directly comparable to Spanawave's broadband microwave power amplifier product line in defense end markets.
- Boonton Electronics (Wireless Telecom Group): Specializes in RF power measurement instrumentation, including peak and average power meters and USB power sensors used in defense, wireless, and semiconductor test. Highly comparable to Spanawave's GT-8550B USB power sensor and 8650B power meter product lines.
- Giga-tronics (original): Spanawave acquired the Test and Measurement product lines (power amplifiers, power meters/sensors, network measurement) from Giga-tronics in 2016. Giga-tronics' remaining business and product DNA are foundational to Spanawave's current portfolio, making it the most direct historical peer.
Broad incumbents
- Pasternack (Infinite Electronics): Supplies RF/microwave components, test accessories, and calibration tools. Comparable in serving the same RF test customer base with adjacent products (cables, calibration kits, adapters) that Spanawave also lists as accessories.
- Tektronix: Major T&M provider (part of Fortive) with signal sources, power meters, and RF/microwave test equipment serving similar defense, wireless, and R&D customers. Overlaps with Spanawave in signal generation and broader test workflows, with a much larger portfolio.
- Keysight Technologies: Largest pure-play electronic test and measurement company globally, offering a broad portfolio of RF/microwave signal analyzers, power meters, signal generators, and amplifiers. Spanawave competes with Keysight at the high-frequency power measurement and amplifier end of the market with a much narrower, more specialized product set.
- Anritsu: Japanese test and measurement company with a deep RF/microwave product line including power meters, sensors, signal generators, and handheld analyzers. Anritsu is a direct overlap competitor in microwave power measurement and signal generation, particularly for wireless and aerospace customers.
- Rohde & Schwarz: German-headquartered T&M leader with a strong RF and microwave portfolio spanning power sensors, signal generators, and amplifiers. Directly comparable to Spanawave in target applications (defense, wireless, R&D) but with vastly greater scale, R&D, and channel reach.
Emerging players
- Mini-Circuits: Broad-line RF/microwave component and subsystem supplier that has expanded into test accessories and some amplifier offerings. Comparable as an RF/microwave peer with overlapping customer base, though its core is components rather than test instruments.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spanawave social profiles
Digital presenceSpanawave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spanawave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Spanawave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spanawave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spanawave
What does Spanawave do?
Spanawave designs, manufactures, and sells microwave and RF test and measurement instruments including power meters, power sensors, USB power sensors, microwave power amplifiers, scalar network analyzers, and microwave signal generators. The portfolio, expanded through the 2016 acquisition of Giga-tronics test and measurement product lines, targets defense, aerospace, wireless communications, and general-purpose laboratory applications requiring broadband frequency coverage from 10 MHz to 50 GHz.
Is Spanawave a public or private company?
Spanawave is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Spanawave founded?
Spanawave was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Spanawave based?
Spanawave is headquartered in Roseville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Spanawave make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are calibration and Repair Services.
Who are Spanawave's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Instruments (NI / Emerson), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (Microwave Electronics), Boonton Electronics (Wireless Telecom Group) and Giga-tronics (original). Broad incumbents are Pasternack (Infinite Electronics), Tektronix, Keysight Technologies, Anritsu and Rohde & Schwarz. Mini-Circuits is listed as an emerging player.
Does Spanawave have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spanawave.
What industry is Spanawave in?
Spanawave's product category is RF and Microwave Test and Measurement Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAC, Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches), with a secondary code of IMAGAFAH, Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services). Its NAICS code is 334515 and its SIC code is 3825.