Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1960)

Toll call to space ■ At the Bell Telephone Labs "space station" at Holmdel, N.J., project engineer W.C. Jakes (standing) is shown talking to the Jet Propulsion Lab., Goldstone, Calif., via voice channels bouncing off Echo L the 10-story-high. aluminized balloon 1,000 miles up. This was one of the first voice circuits using the passive satellite which was sent whirling into orbit in space on August 12. capable of 98% reflectivity at frequencies up to 20,000 mc. It is traveling at a speed of 16.000 mph, and takes 15-minutes to pass over a given area. It weighs 137.4 lbs. Two wafer-thin transmitters are attached to the balloon underneath its aluminum skin per Ride that failed ■ A Signal Corps master sergeant is shown installing a microwave whip antenna on the Army's Courier I-A. This is the space radio station which was to be sent into 700-mile orbit August 18, but which was blown to bits when the rocket vehicle exploded minutes after being launched. Built by Philco Corp., the 500-lb., 5I-in. sphere is plastered with 20,000 solar cells to convert sunlight into power. It is mitting accurate aiming of ground antennas. Although the hollow sphere has an estimated life of one year, scientists are concerned about its efficiency after it enters darkness. This will occur at the end of this week, it was estimated. packed with 300 lbs. of electronic communications gear — including four transistorized transmitters and receivers and five miniature tape recorders. Plan was to use the Courier as a delayed-time repeater, capable of gulping and storing 340,000 words a minute in every fiveminute pass over a ground transmitting station and unloading the same traffic when passing over a ground receiving station later during orbit. If the bag loses the warming rays of the sun (which aided in expanding the sphere after ejaculation from the rocket), it is feared that the satellite may become misshapen and that this might affect its ability to reflect radio signals properly. in the next few months but he predicted they won't enjoy the same success. Apart from the threat of "serious and permanent damage" to U.S. manufacturers, there's also evidence of "attempts to delude the American public with highly questionable marketing practices for Japanese radios," Admiral claimed Thursday. Jerrold's '60 catv gross was $2 million Jerrold Electronics Corp.'s nine community television systems, sold two weeks ago for $5 million to the H&B American Corp. (Broadcasting, Aug. 15), brought in $2 million in fiscal 1960, Milton J. Shapp, president of Jerrold, disclosed last week. Mr. Shapp also said that Jerrold would use the $5 million for the acquisition of other catv systems or small elec BROADCASTING, August 22, 1960 tronics companies. He made his remarks to the Philadelphia Securities Assn. where he also estimated that Jerrold's sales and revenues for fiscal 1961 would be about $8.5 million, "about equal" to the 1960 revenues. Jerrold's fiscal year ends the last day in February. ■ Technical topics Tubes to Japan ■ General Electric Co., Schenectady, N.Y., announced that the new Japanese color tv industry which begins colorcasts next month will use G.E.'s ultra-sensitive GL-7629 image orthicon. Already 12 tubes have been ordered by five broadcasters with half of that total earmarked for Nippon TV Network. Sales up, profits down ■ Raytheon Co. has reported that sales for the first half of 1 960 totaled $277 million with profit after taxes of $4 million. In the com parable 1959 period, sales were $235 million and profits were $5 million. Richard E. Krafve. firm president, stated that earnings were adversely affected by increased expenditures for plant consolidations, research and new product development along with substandard operating results in a number of commercial and component product lines. Operating improvement and aggressive marketing efforts are expected to boost earnings during the second half of 1960, Mr. Krafve stated. Tape tales ■ A new catalog, on the Presto 800 series professional tape recorders, has been released by the BogenPresto Div. of The Siegler Corp. Among the models described are console, portable and rack-mounted recorders including some instantly convertible from 1/4 -inch to V2-inch tape. Copies are available from Bogen-Presto Co., Box 500, Paramus, N.J. Catalogue #910. 73