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August 1940 Radio-Craft
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Craft,
published 1929 - 1953. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
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In August of 1940, issue No. 24
of the Radio Trade Digest had a couple major historical announcements.
The first is "F.C.C. Authorizes Commercial F.M.," which assigned
40 UHF (42 - 50 MHz band) commercial broadcast channels 5 non-commercial channels.
Frequencies were changed to 88 - 108 MHz in 1946. The second major announcement
was that Philco
(founded in 1892 as Helios Electric Company, then changed to the Philadelphia
Storage Battery Company in 1906) had become a publically
traded company. It required private stock holders to convert and re-value their
holdings to make some of them available for public sale, which or course they voted
for. I don't know how IPOs (initial public offerings) worked back then, but my guess
is they were not as dynamic as today's IPOs. Finally, the third announcement was
a prediction that Ham radio equipment sales would take a precipitous drop in the
coming months as World War II was spooling up and restrictions were placed on
private radio activity.
Radio Trade Digest
 All the worthwhile Radio Trade News of the
past Month - Digested for busy radio men.
A Pledge: - To print the important news of the radio industry; to review major
news events: to help point a path to radio profits.
Important Happenings of the Month in the Radio Industry
No. 24
F.C.C. Authorizes Commercial F.M.
Forty U.H.F. Channels Assigned for the New Broadcasting Art. Five Channels Are
Non-Commercial
Acting with unusual speed the Federal Communications Commission has given frequency
modulation the green light to go ahead with commercial operation. Forty U.H.F. channels
have been assigned this type of broadcasting and only 5 of them are retained for
non-commercial work. The Commission does not feel that present-day radio sets will
be made obsolete at least for a period of years.
The major portion of the radio industry was highly elated at the news and some
spokesmen foresaw a "life-saving boom."
A prominent consultant to the trade foresees a great opportunity for sales in
South America. Most manufacturers, he points out, will be concentrating on the domestic
market. However, he stresses that South America with its heavy static is an ideal
spot for the sale of F.M. transmitters and receivers, as these are less affected
by electrical and magnetic disturbances.
With the European and patent situations as they are, he suggests that now is
the time for American manufacturers to introduce F.M. to the Western Hemisphere
and absorb the market.
New G.E. Institute Entrance
Visitors to General Electric in Bridgeport must enter this door & pass through
a reception lounge & display of appliances in order to reach factory & offices
beyond. Building also houses testing lab & meeting room.
War Situation Forces F.C.C to Restrict "Ham" Broadcasts
Sales of Amateur Radio Equipment Expected to Take Sharp Drop. Contacts Limited
to U.S.A. and Possessions Only
Stringent new regulations governing ham activities have just been announced by
the F.C.C. These are commercially important in that they may cut into sales of radio
equipment & components. At press time the regulations were two-fold: (a) Contacts
with hams outside of U.S.A. and possessions were banned; (b) the use of portable
rigs was restricted to frequencies above 56 mc. except for special emergency service.
It hardly need be stressed that the greater the transmission distance and the
more equipment the amateur is permitted to use, the greater will be his purchases.
The fact that his contacts will be limited, for the most part, to this hemisphere
means that he will be less inclined to buy the apparatus needed to construct high-power
transmitters and super-sensitive receivers. Simpler, less costly, apparatus will
probably serve his purpose during the emergency. Similarly he will be less likely
to construct a portable post since his use of it will be limited to equipment able
to reach only to the horizon. A ray of hope exists in the fact that the war may
soon be over. Until then all loyal Americans will cooperate uncomplainingly.
Philco Goes Public
Philco stockholders have cleared the way for public participation in the ownership
of the corporation's securities. (Heretofore Philco has been a privately-owned company.)
As a result, par value of the outstanding common stock has been changed from $100
to $3. Each share of present common stock has been exchanged for 33 1/3 shares of
new common stock. Outstanding shares of common stock now become 1,221,100 in number,
plus 28,385 shares of $100 par value $5 preference stock, but no bonds, mortgages
or funded indebtedness of any kind.
Present stockholders agreed to sell, through a public offering, part of their
holdings of the reclassified common stock. Plans have also been made for a public
offering of sufficient additional common stock to obtain funds to retire all outstanding
preference stock. Upon completion of these plans, the common stock will represent
the only outstanding security of Philco Corporation, and applications will be made
to list this stock on the New York Stock Exchange.
The Music Goes 'Round & Around
New "Roto Base" on RCA Little Nipper model 46X23 permits it to be turned in any
direction, thus permitting .the built-in loop antenna to be aimed directly at the
wanted station thereby increasing signal strength.
Posted June 19, 2019
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