60th anniversary celebrations

Daniels Electronics has started a celebration of its 60th anniversary leading up to the actual incorporation date on December 9. The following history of the company is extracted from its website.

The company was founded in 1938 by Gordon Daniels in Prince Rupert, a small fishing town along the northern coast of British Columbia. His business involved him personally hand-building radiotelephones for lease within the BC fishing industry. During World War II, the business was put on hold and following the war, he re-established his commercial business.

Daniels Electronics was officially incorporated on December 9, 1950. Throughout the 1950s, Gordon Daniels continued to produce AM radiotelephones in Prince Rupert. During the mid-1950s, the founder moved his family and the company's office to Victoria.

Following the death of the founder in 1962, his two sons, Terry and Ron established a growing manufacturing and marketing operation in two old buildings near the company's present location. Today, Terry is chairman of the board and Ron is a board member.

A downturn in the fishing industry in the early 1980s presented challenges to companies selling marine radiotelephones. Fortunately, Daniels was able to diversify its business by winning a contract to manufacture a made-to-order mountain top radio repeater system for the British Columbia Department of Highways.

Today the company still produces repeaters and base stations that are sold worldwide, however the products have evolved through seven technology generations and today incorporate the latest software defined radio technology.