|
June 1960 Radio-Electronics
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Electronics,
published 1930-1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
|
images coming soon...
News Briefs:
11/57 |
8/58 |
11/59 |
2/60 |
4/60 |
8/60 |
9/60 |
10/60 |
12/60 |
1/61 |
3/61 |
5/61 |
6/61 |
7/61 |
8/61 |
9/61 |
10/61 |
11/61 |
12/61 |
1/62 |
2/62 |
3/62 |
4/62 |
5/62 |
6/62 |
7/62 |
8/62 |
9/62 |
10/62 |
11/62 |
2/63 |
3/63 |
4/63 |
6/63 |
8/63 |
9/63 |
11/63 |
2/64 |
3/64 |
4/64 |
7/64 |
8/64 |
12/64 |
8/64 |
9/64 |
1/66 |
3/66 |
8/66 |
9/66 |
1/67 |
3/67 |
4/67 |
5/67 |
6/67 |
7/67 |
9/67 |
3/68 |
4/68 |
5/68 |
8/68 |
9/68 |
4/69 |
1/69 |
5/69 |
6/69 |
10/69 |
11/69 |
12/69
News Briefs
Du Mont Dead at 64
Cathode-ray tube and television pioneer Allen B. Du Mont died Nov. 15, 1965.
His interest in electronics dated from age 11, when his father gave him a crystal
set while he was recovering from a polio attack. He got a radio-telegraph license
at age 15, and operated aboard ship for the next seven summers.
After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1924, he worked as
tube production engineer for Westinghouse for 4 years, leaving to become chief engineer
for de Forest, who was manufacturing vaccuum tubes and spinning-disc TV sets.
Du Mont left to set up his own business in 1931. Working in a garage, he improved
the cathode-ray tube (until then an expensive imported laboratory curiosity with
a life of a few hours) to a point where C-R oscilloscopes became practical, and
became a large manufacturer of scopes.
Selling one of his best-known inventions, the electron-ray indicator, or Magic-Eye
tube, to RCA, he used the proceeds to start a TV factory in Passaic, selling the
first TV sets to the public a few days before RCA reached the market. Du Mont also
established TV stations WABD (now WNEWTV) in New York City, WTTG in Washington
and WDTV (now KDKA) in Pittsburgh.
Europe on the Broadcast Band Again
Once again this winter many European broadcast band stations are being heard
in the Eastern part of the United States.
Most continental stations go off the air for the night at 6 pm (EST) and return
between 12 midnight and 1 am. Most British stations go off at 6:45 pm and return
between 12:30 and 1:30 am.
Best time for reception in December and January is from shortly after sunset
till 6 or 7 pm and from midnight to 2:30 am EST.
Stations heard the past fall include Madrid 584 kc; BBC (England) 647 kc (this
station also broadcasts in Russian from 10:45 to 11:15 pm); Seville 683 kc; Holland
746 kc; Miramar, Portugal 782 kc (till 7:30 pm); Nancy, France 836 kc; Rome 845
kc (24-hour schedule); London 908 kc; Holland 1007 kc; Droitwich, England 1088 kc;
Czechoslovakia 1097 kc; Bordeaux 1205 kc; BBC 1214 kc (12:30 am-9 pm); BBC 1295
kc (foreign languages 11 pm-1 am; English 5 to 6 pm); Monte Carlo 1466 kc (midnight-6
pm).
Careful tuning and a very selective receiver are necessary.
FCC Catches Law Violators
Citizens-band operators need not feel that they are the only ones called to account
and fined by the FCC. The large number of Citizens-band operators and their inexperience
do result in large numbers of prosecutions. But some staid and sober business organizations
have strayed as well. A recent report of the FCC lists monetary forfeitures against
two ship stations, two taxicab stations and other business licensees. A public coast
station was also fined $100 for repeated failure to operate within its prescribed
frequency tolerance.
Most interesting of all were three citations against police radio stations, each
of which was assessed $100, one for repeated failure to operate within frequency
tolerances, and two for repeated failure to respond to official communications.
Interference Control Act May Come in '66
Bill S. 1015, which would give the Federal Communications Commission power to
set manufacturing standards on permissible radiation from radios, TV sets, or other
electrical or electronic devices, is expected to be acted upon by the Senate Commerce
Committee in the 90th Congress.
At present, the FCC cannot compel a manufacturer to construct equipment with
radiation below FCC standards. Only when the equipment is in the hands of the user
and actually produces radiation is the FCC empowered to proceed against the owner,
confiscate the equipment and levy fines and even imprisonment.
The FCC has made more than one attempt to end this absurd situation, and S. 1015
appears to be the most promising of those attempts.
Posted
|
