A hundred years ago this month, the July 1922 issue of Science and Invention made its prediction of what television would look like. The accompanying article, written by Hugo Gernsback, got most of the technical details wrong. But the artist’s conception, by illustrator Howard V. Brown (1878-1945) doesn’t look very different from the sets that started showing up in American homes a quarter century later. If the style looks familiar, it’s because we’ve seen Brown’s artwork before.
Seventy years ago this month, if you lived in a strong signal area, but didn’t want an unsightly set of rabbit ears on top of your TV, you could instead get the Tenna-Ship for only $12.95, from the Gleam Manufacturing Company, 740 North Leavitt St., Chicago.
This ad appeared in the June 1952 issue of Radio Retailing.
If you wanted to be the first on your block to have television 75 years ago, and you were reasonably adept with a screwdriver and soldering iron, then this kit might be just the thing you needed. When you were finished, you would have a set with a 7-inch picture tube, large enough to be viewed comfortably by 10 or more people. You could put it into operation at any locality where television reception was available.
The kit retailed for $159.50, and was geared up especially for schools. All difficult assemblies were prewired, so you didn’t have to worry about getting it into alignment. It cam pre-tuned for three channels of your choice, dictated by which stations were on the area in your area.
While no cabinet was included, it is noted that the 3000 volts were carefully protected by insulation, an interlock switch, and a bottom plate under the chassis. This description appeared in the March 1947 issue of Popular Mechanics.
I remember as a kid seeing a structure similar to this one. I don’t remember exactly where, but it was somewhere along the route between Minneapolis and Duluth, with one horn facing south, and the other facing north. I asked my parents what it was, and they said it was for relaying TV signals. It made perfect sense to me, since the two horns looked a lot like TV screens.
I didn’t know what was inside, but now I do. The electronics were on the top floor, the B+ power supply was on the third floor, the filament power supply was on the second floor, and a backup generator was on the ground floor.
This diagram appeared 70 years ago this month in the February 1952 issue of Radio-Electronics. Click on the image to see the full size version.
Seventy years ago this month, the January 1952 issue of Radio-Electronics showed “the boldest stroke in education by television ever made.” The 31-foot TV truck of the Army Signal Corps would be used to televise intricate military exercises and maneuvers, allowing them to be viewed back at base on television screens by much larger numbers than would otherwise be able to witness them. In fact, the camera would make visible all of the little things you wouldn’t see if you were there, making the experience superior to attending in person.
The signals were relayed back to base with a 7 GHz microwave link.
Seventy years ago this month, the December 1951 issue of Popular Mechanics carried a feature with the byline of RCA Chairman of the Board David Sarnoff discussing the prospects of international television. He predicted that before long, viewers would be able to bring exciting events from distant lands to their armchairs with a flick of the dial, all at the instant they’re taking place.
He outlined the ways this might happen, but interestingly, he fails to mention the technology that did make it happen, namely orbiting satellites.
His most promising idea is shown above, namely a network of microwave relays about 20-50 miles apart. This network was already taking shape in the US, and Sarnoff pointed out that it could easily be expanded from Patagonia to Alaska. And since it was only 40 miles acroos the Bering Strait, there was no technological reason why the network couldn’t be thus extended into Eurasia, and from there to Africa. He notes that there were plans for a telegraph land line along the same route 90 years earlier, which was abandoned only after the success of the transatlantic telegraph cable.
Another idea for connecting America and Europe was a string of artificial islands in the Atlantic, 200 miles apart, each with a 1000 foot tower.
We’ve previously mentioned the idea of stratovision, namely, using aircraft both to broadcast and relay programs. Sarnoff hinted at a possible expansion of this system to link America and Europe. He noted that there were already enough commercial flights flying the route, and that if these planes were fitted with television relays, they could provide a permanent microwave link across the Atlantic.
Shown here from 70 years ago is an ad for Raytheon Television’s deluxe offering, the model RC-1720 “Starlight” set. According to the ad, the set was famous for fringe area performance, and it boasted a 17 inch picture tube, along with room-filling volume from a 10 inch speaker.
The set retailed for $369.95, which was down from the previous price of $469.95. That price included the federal excise tax, as well as a one year warranty. In addition to the TV, the set included an AM radio (but no FM), and a three speed phonograph.
In 2021 dollars, the price of the set works out to almost $4000, according to this inflation calculator. The ad appeared in the December 1951 issue of Radio & Television Retailing.
Shown here seventy years ago is Lawrence Pickerell, technician for McKee’s Modern Home Center of Longmont, Colorado. The store had entered the television business, notwithstanding the fact that the closest station was 500 miles away in Omaha, Nebraska.
Pickerell, along with owner Howard McKee, had been associated with another store in Iowa. While at that store, a closer-in station was scheduled to be built, but originally, the closest station was a hundred miles away. But their store went right wo work doing everything to pull in the fringe station.
At times, reception was poor, but at other times, it was acceptable. While they didn’t make many sales at that time, they gathered a tremendous amount of local publicity, and their service department gained a lot of practical experience with television. When a local station came on the air, they already had the reputation as “the television store,” and they wound up with most of the business.
When McKee bought the store in Colorado, the situation was even worse, and they weren’t even in the fringe area of any station. Undaunted, they decided to put up a tower and hope for the best. Since the closest station in Omaha was channel 6, WOW-TV, so they put up a stacked array tuned to channel 6, and had the foresight to include a rotor. During the sprint of 1950, they pulled in other stations quite frequently due to Sporadic E, with similar results in 1951. They noted that reception was best over the noon hour, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM, and after 8:30. During 1951, 8:00 AM and early afternoon were the best. They noted that conditions were consistent with short skip on the 10 meter band.
About 25% of the stations received were “program quality,” with another half being passable quality. The other 25% were intermittent. The complete log is shown here, ranging from Seattle to Atlanta. Even though the antenna was tuned to channel 6, most stations were channels 2-5. As would be expected, they didn’t pull in any high-band stations. The most consistent logging was KPRC, channel 2, Houston, Texas. In many cases, the best signal was obtained by pointing the antenna at nearby Longs Peak, elevation 14,000 feet.
According to this undated matchbook, the store was playing up television, and was located at 350 Main Street. According to Google Street View, the building is still standing, and until a recent move, housed Jensen Guitars and the Willow River Music Emporium. The TV antenna appears to be gone.
The photos appeared in the December 1951 issue of Radio & Television News.
As we’ve seen earlier, distance learning is nothing new, and sixty years ago this month, the November 1961 issue of Radio-Electronics carried a summary of the state of the art. It noted that television, either broadcast or closed-circuit, was the leading method in use at that time. The most famous was the NBC “Continental Classroom” program, which ran from 1958 to 1963, which offered college credit. While not mentioned in the article, a similar program, Sunrise Semester ran from 1957 to 1982.
And as we’ve previously covered, the article mentioned the Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI), which broadcast from an airborne transmitter over much of the Midwest.
The most elaborate system in use, what we would call interactive, was that used by the New York Institute of Technology, shown above. The student listened to a recorded lesson, and then answered multiple-choice questions which were reviewed by the instructor. There was an intercom through which the student could ask questions of the instructor, and any visuals were shown to the student on a nearby TV monitor.
The magazine concluded by noting:
The exact methods that electronic instruction will follow in the future are not clear, but the question “Will it be a factor in future education?” has been answered. Make no mistake about it- electronic education is with us, and extending fast.
Sixty years ago this month, the cover of the November 1961 issue of Popular Electronics featured the stars of the hit TV private detective drama 77 Sunset Strip. Roger Smith and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., are shown with a new co-star, namely CB radio. Smith is shown at the mike of a base transceiver, and Zimbalist is shown with a handheld unit. The base unit looks like it might be a Polytronics Poly-Comm Model N.
The magazine was proud to announce that it had been consulted relative to placement of CB radio on this network program. The detectives used a phony call sign, 11J5486. The format for the call was right, but the letter would have been W. But the number 11 was correct for southern California.
The magazine reminded readers to tune in to ABC on Friday night at 9:00, especially for the following episodes which prominently featured the CB equipment: The Bridal Trail Caper (season 4, episode 20), The Bel Air Hermit (season 4, episode 22), The Unremembered (season 4, episode 6).
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