60 seconds with Panorama Antennas' John Thomson

How do you spend your time at work?

I work in the development team and provide product support to our internal and external sales. Customer technical support is another important part of my role.

What’s the one gadget that you can’t live without?

Predictably, I guess, my smartphone, which allows me to keep up to date while out of the office.

Describe your most unforgettable project.

An antenna retuning exercise on locomotives at Carnforth rail depot for the Scotrail West Highland and Far North RETB radio token system.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen in the sector?

Some of the poor-quality vehicle installations, which is why FCS runs the FITAS scheme (installer training and accreditation) to improve standards.

What advice would you give to anyone starting in the industry?

Be curious, find out more about what you might be working on to get a better understanding of the application or whole system. Make use of colleagues’ knowledge and experience, and remember – every day is a learning day.