Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

Another Eye RCA's "TV Eye,'* the versatile closed-circuit television system for in- dustry, has worked its way into a new location. It is now keeping a watch over a critical operation in one of the nation's largest cigarette paper plants. The installation has been made at the Spotswood, N. J., plant of Peter J. Schweitzer, Inc., for remote observa- tion of a paper-pulp washing tank to guard against jamming or plugging that could result in a costly shutdown for repairs. The camera, about the size of a home movie camera, is focused on the pulp washing tank and projects a continuous picture of operations to a monitor for viewing by an attendant in charge of various pulp-preparation machines. Treasure Chest A happy premium for the radio-TV serviceman is announced by the RCA Tube Division in the fotm of a new, improved carrying case for electron tubes. Known as the "Treasure Chest," the case weighs eleven pounds and has room for 134 tubes as well as the small tools most frequently needed in home service calls. Dealers will be able to obtain the new case by turning in to distributors a total of 20 RCA "Treas- ure Notes," one of which is given to dealers with each purchase of 25 RCA receiving tubes or one RCA picture tube. Trois, Deux, Un — In addition to its other distinctions, NBC is helping to train French army, navy and air force officers. The French Ministry of National Defense recently asked NBC for copies of the prize- winning television films "Three, Two, One — Zero" and "Victory at Sea" for use as training films in the instruction of officers and officer candidates of the French military services. "Three, Two, One —■ Zero" was the first TV program to tell the over-all story of atomic energy, while "Victory at Sea" was a 26-week TV film series on the history of naval operations in World War II. Both were produced by Henry Saloman, chief of the NBC Television Film Documentary Unit, who presented copies to French Ambassador Maurice Couve de Murville in response to the French request. sharing arrangement will result in sub- stantial economies. The two transmit- ters are the sixth and seventh fur- nished by RCA to Cuban broadcasters. Station Switch NBC and the Westinghouse Broad- casting Company have agreed to ex- change their radio and television sta- tions in Philadelphia and Cleveland, subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission. Under the agreement, announced by Sylvester L. Weaver, Jr., President of NBC, and Chris J. Witting, President of WBC, the Westinghouse stations in Philadel- phia, WPTZ and KYW, will be taken over by NBC, while NBC will turn over to Westinghouse its Cleveland stations WNBK and WTAM and WTAM-FM. The agreement calls for payment of $3 million to the Westing- house Broadcasting Company in addi- tion to the exchange of stations. Good Neighbors Two key television stations in Cuba's Television Nacional and CMQ net- works are installing their new 10 KW RCA television transmitters in a single Havana building and will use the same tower. The two stations, broadcasting on Channels 4 and 6, have had separate locations. The combined installation was instigated by construction of a 23- story hotel near their present sites, and officials of both networks think the C w Find that Ore Now you can get an RCA Geiger counter for your uranium hunting. Six models, ranging in sensitivity and price to suit the requirements of pro- fessional and amateur prospectors as well as laboratory technicians, have just been introduced by the RCA Tube Division. The two simplest models, weighing only 5 pounds including bat- teries, are intended basically for the weekend and vacationing prospector. As the Tube Division puts it, anyone who can operate a portable radio can operate an RCA Geiger counter. At the upper end of the scale is a sturdy model equipped wirh ten Geiger tubes, sensitive enough to measure radiation in certain types of surveys conducted from the air and moving vehicles. 32 RADIO AGE