California Amplifier Expects 2nd-Quarter Loss

Camarillo-based California Amplifier Inc., citing weak demand and delays in new product launches, said it expects to report a second-quarter loss.

The company also said it expects revenues to drop about 17% from a year ago in the quarter ending Aug. 31.

The outlook is well below a First Call Inc. earnings estimate of 9 cents a share for the quarter, and below the 9 cents a share the company earned on revenues of $14.5 million in the second quarter of last year.

Company officials attribute the loss, in part, to softness in the domestic market for analog wireless cable equipment, which includes amplifiers, converters and antennas.

Officials also said results are being hurt by a delayed introduction of the company’s updated MultiCipher scrambling technology, which had system problems and had to be re-engineered.

Despite the outlook, however, analysts said the company’s problems are only temporary.

Montgomery Securities analyst Matthew Robison said demand for wireless cable equipment will pick up as digital technology becomes more widely accepted in the United States and foreign cable operators digest existing products.