EXHIBIT 99.1



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                      NEWS
----------------------
May 13, 2002                                                            OTC-VARL


                      VARI-L COMPANY NAMES TIM SCHAMBERGER
                      VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING

DENVER, Colorado -- Vari-L Company, Inc. (OTC-VARL), a leading provider of
advanced components for the wireless telecommunications industry, today
announced the appointment of veteran sales executive Tim Schamberger as vice
president of sales and marketing. Schamberger replaces Tim Micun, who is leaving
the Company to pursue other interests.

Schamberger brings to Vari-L more than 18 years of sales management and
engineering experience in the telecommunications and defense industries. His
most recent assignment was as strategic account manager with M/A-COM Inc., a
leading wireless RF components manufacturer, where he led a worldwide senior
technical sales team focused on the telecommunications market. Prior assignments
with M/A-COM included sales management positions of increasing responsibility in
areas incorporating key account management, budget and forecasting, new product
development and negotiation of worldwide pricing agreements. He exceeded his
sales targets in each of those positions. Schamberger's prior experience
includes assignments with Allied Signal Aerospace Corp., a manufacturer of
non-nuclear systems for nuclear weapons, and Wilcox Electric, a manufacturer of
ground-based navigation aid equipment.

"I am extremely pleased to have attracted someone of Tim's caliber and
experience," said Chuck Bland, president and CEO of Vari-L. "He is an
accomplished sales executive with a strong track record in building, training
and leading technical sales teams both domestically and internationally. His
sales leadership and background in the wireless industry will be especially
important as we expand our product mix and pursue growth opportunities in new
and existing markets."

Schamberger added, "I am excited about joining Vari-L and the excellent sales
team already in place. Having competed against Vari-L in the past, I am well
acquainted with the Company's reputation for high quality, reliable products and
services. Buoyed by an expanded product offering and excellent long-term
prospects in the wireless communications field, I look forward to helping Vari-L
achieve its aggressive growth plans."






Headquartered in Denver, Vari-L designs, manufactures and markets wireless
communications components that generate or process radio frequency (RF) and
microwave frequency signals. Vari-L's patented products are used in commercial
infrastructure equipment (including GSM/cellular/PCS base stations and
repeaters, fixed terminal point to point/multi-point,) consumer subscriber
products (advanced cellular/PCS/satellite handsets), and military/aerospace
platforms (satellite communications/telemetry, missile guidance, electronic
warfare, electronic countermeasures, battlefield communications). Vari-L serves
a diverse customer base of the world's leading technology companies, including
Agilent Technologies, Ericsson, Harris, Hughes Network Systems, Lockheed Martin,
Lucent Technologies, Microwave Data Systems, Marconi, Motorola, Netro, Nokia,
Raytheon, Textron, Siemens, and Solectron.

Some of the statements we make in this news release are "forward-looking
statements" as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. In most cases, when we use words like "believe," "expect," "estimate,"
"anticipate," "project," or "plan" to describe something which has not yet
occurred, we are making a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements
we make are based on a number of assumptions by us about the future, usually
based on current conditions or on the broader expectations of others. These
assumptions may or may not prove to be correct and, as a result, our own
forward-looking statements may also be inaccurate. On the other hand, based on
what we know today and what we expect in the future, we believe that the
forward-looking statements we make in this news release are reasonable.

We cannot list here all of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our
plans for the future to differ materially from our present expectations but we
can identify many of them. For example, we may be affected by the overall market
for various types of wireless communications products, the success of the
specific products into which our products are integrated, governmental action
relating to wireless communications, licensing and regulation and the timeliness
and relative success of the resolution of pending and threatened litigation. It
is also important to remember that forward-looking statements speak only as of
the date when they are made and we do not promise that we will publicly update
or revise those statements whenever conditions change or future events occur.
Accordingly, we do not recommend that any person seeking to evaluate our company
should place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement in this news
release.

                                    CONTACTS:
Vari-L Company, Inc.                        Pfeiffer High Public Relations, Inc.
Chuck Bland, President & CEO                                        Jay Pfeiffer
Rick Dutkiewicz, CFO                                                303/393-7044
303/371-1560                                                jay@pfeifferhigh.com
www.vari-l.com