Gabor Heckenast

He began his career in 1948 at the radio transmitter in Lakihegy. Between 1949 and 1962, he worked as a development engineer and then as a team leader in the first experimental studio of the Hungarian Radio (the Posta Experimental Station). He played a significant role in the start of the production of magnetic sound recording equipment in Hungary. He played a leading role in the development of the new, decentralized system technology of the Hungarian Radio and in the design of the new, central switchboard.

From 1962, he managed the introduction of magnetic image recording at Hungarian Television, and from 1964, he was the deputy technical director in charge of the development area. In 1968-69, he was on a seven-month scholarship study trip to Italy at Radio Audizioni Italia (RAI), and in 1975, he spent a month at Japan's largest broadcasting organization (NHK).

Between 1973 and 1992, he was the technical director of the Hungarian Radio; under his leadership, the Radio was enriched with many new technical facilities (studios, a new switchboard, broadcasting trucks, air conditioning system, new buildings, new rural studios), and the first digital equipment also appeared.

After his retirement in 1992, he prepared various studies as a consultant. He was a member of the National Communications and Informatics Council (NHIT) between 1996-2000 and an expert between 2000-2004. In 1998, he was elected to the Supervisory Board of the Telecommunications Interest Reconciliation Forum (TÉF). For years, he was a member of the Acoustic Complex Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Between 1981 and 1990, he served as Chairman of the Technical Committee of the International Radio and Television Organization (OIRT). He participated in the World Conferences of the Radio Unions (in Algiers, Prague and Washington), where he was elected Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Technical Section. He participated in the World Radio Conferences of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on several occasions.

He worked for many years in the standardization work of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) TC 28, then TC 60 Hungarian National Committee. After the establishment of the Hungarian Section of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), he was the president of the section for ten years; he participated in many conferences (many of them organized); he also gave lectures, from which his articles were published.

He was a member of the Optical, Acoustic and Film Technology Association (OPAKFI), where he held the position of president for ten years. He was the deputy head of the Studio Technology Department of the Hungarian Association of Communications and Informatics (HTE).

He has published nine books (some of which were co-authored); the best known is the basic book on Magnetic Sound Recording, written with Kálmán Zsdánszky. He has published extensively in the journals Híradástechnika, Kép- és hangtechnika, Magyar Távközlés and Rádiótechnika.

His awards: Petzval József Memorial Medal (OPAKFI, 1964, 2008); State Award (1978); Puskás Tivadar Award (HTE, 1980); Békésy György Award (OPAKFI, 1985); MTESZ Award (Association of Technical and Natural Science Associations, 1987); Kempelen Farkas Award (HTE-OPAKFI-NJSZT, 1992); Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic (1992); Fellowship Award (AES, 1993); Szőts Ernő Award (Magyar Rádió, 1999); Puskás Tivadar Award (HTE, 2000); AES Award (2002).