Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

12 Electronics Reports: John D. Ryder, dean of Michigan State College engineering school, was elected pres, of IRE for 1955, the 40, 000-member society announced Nov. 10. He succeeds Wm. Hewlett, Hewlett-Packard. Fritz Tank, professor at Swiss Institute of Technology, Zurich, will succeed Maurice J. H. Ponte, director of Compagnie Generale de TSF, France, as v.p. Directors elected for 1955-57 term are John F. Byrne, Motorola, and Ernst Weber, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. These regional directors were named for 1955-56 : North Central Atlantic, John N. Dyer, Airborne Instruments Lab, Mineola, L. I.; east central, E. M. Boone, Ohio State U ; southern, Durward J. Tucker, WRR, Dallas; Canada, John T. Henderson, National Research Council, Ottawa. These 76 engineers and scientists were named Fellows of the Institute: V. J. Andrew, Andrew Corp.; R. M. Ashby, North American Aviation; C. H. Bachman, Syracuse U; MaJ. Gen. G. I. Back, Chief Signal Officer, U. S. Army; B. G. Ballard, National Research Council, Montreal; G. S. Brown, MIT; G. H. Browning, Browning Labs; Kenneth Bulllngton, Bell Labs; V. S. Carson, N. C. State College; Joseph A. Chambers, Motorola; R. D. Chipp, DuMont Network; C. E. Cleeton, Naval Research Lab; J. W. Coltman, Westlnghouse; A. G. Cooley, Times Facsimile Corp.; P. A. Cowan, AT&T; C. C. Cutler, Bell Labs; Harry Davis, Rome Air Development Center. J. W. Dawson, Sylvanla; R. L. Dletzhold, Bell Labs; C. S. Draper, MIT; O. M. Dunning, Hazeltine; J. B. Fisk, Bell Labs; J. W. Forrester, MIT; G. L. Predendall, RCA; P. J. Gaffney, Fairchild; R. S. Glasgow, U. S. Naval Postgraduate School; Harold Goldberg, Emerson; A. W. Graf, patent lawyer; E. I. Green, Bell Labs; W. A. Harris, RCA; A. E. Harrison, U of Washington; Gerhard Herzog, Texas Co.; S. C. Hight, Sandla Corp.; L. A. Hyland, Bendlx; R. B. James, RCA; Martin Katzln, Naval Research Lab. V. R. Learned, Sperry; E. A. Lederer, Westlnghouse; Meyer Lelfer, Sylvania; T. M. Libby, Turkish PT&T; Urner Llddel, Bendlx; E. G. Linder, RCA; B. D. Loughlln, Hazeltine; C. J. Marshall, Wrlght-Patterson Air Base; R. E. Moe, GE; R. C. Moore, Phllco; P. L. Morton, U of Cal.; W. A. Nichols, CBC; R. S. Ohl, Bell Labs; W. H. Pickering, Cal. Inst, of Technology; J. R. Ragazzinl, Columbia U; E. G. Ramberg. RCA; W. G. Richardson, CBC; L. N. Ridenour, International Telemeter; H. E. Roys, RCA; O. H. Schmitt, U of Minn.; B. A. Schwarz, Delco; Samuel Seely, Syracuse U; Wm. Shockley, Bell Labs; C. M. Sinnett, RCA; C. E. Smith, consulting engineer; J. E. Smith, National Radio Inst.; P. L. Spencer, Raytheon; G. C. Sziklai, RCA; J. R. Tolmie, Pacific T&T; W. G. Tuller (deceased), Melpar; C. H. Vollum, Tektronix; P. K. Welmer, RCA; E. L. White, FCC; A. J. Williams Jr., Leeds & Northrup; R. D. Wyckoff, Gulf Research & Development. Foreign recipients: T. E. Goldup, Mullard Ltd., London; C. E. Granqvist, Svenska A.B. Gosackumulator, Lindlgo, Sweden; P. R. Guenard, Compagnie Generale de TSF, Paris; G. W. O. Howe (retired), Glasgow U, Scotland; B. D. H. Tellegen, Philips, Netherlands. lit 4t # Ketay Instrument Corp., New York, and Norden Laboratories Corp., Milford, Conn., both makers of electronic instruments, have announced merger plans, Norden stockholders being invited to exchange their holdings for Ketay shares on basis of one share of Ketay for 4 of Norden. Ketay name would be changed to Norden-Ketay Corp., with Ketay pres. Morris Ketay continuing in same post and Norden pres. Paul Adams becoming chairman of exec, committee and exec. v.p. Officials of both companies estimated sales of merged firms would exceed $20,000,000 annually. Norden Labs, successor to producer of Norden bombsight, employs 950, while Ketay employs 1200. Semi-conductor operations dept, has been set up by RCA at Harrison, N. J., to be devoted exclusively to engineering and manufacture of transistors and other semiconductor devices. Dr. Alan M. Glover, former controls & standards mgr. for CR & power tube operations at Lancaster plant, is mgr. of new dept., with Norval H. Green mgr. of semi-conductor mfg., Robert E. Higgs mgr. of planning & scheduling. Dr. Lewis Malter, mgr. of engineering. ACF Industries Inc., N. Y. builder of railroad cars which already has 2 major electronics subsidiaries (ACF Electronics, Alexandria, Va., and Avion Instrument Corp., Paramus, N. J.), has acquired Engineering & Research Corp. (Erco), Riverdale, Md., electronics and aircraft equipment maker which employs 1800. ACF spokesman said Erco has $23,000,000 backlog of orders. IT&T and GE electronics div. have concluded 5-year license agreements whereby GE can use all IT&T patents in U. S. covering picture apparatus, radio, radar, controls, etc.; IT&T is currently licensed under GE patents through separate agreement. PHILCO reports encouraging progress both in color TV and transistors, pres. James H. Carmine revealing Nov. 12 that it has recently licensed GE, Westinghouse, Sylvania & Avco (Crosley) to use its single-gun color tube and the Philco color TV system (Vol. 10:32). “Philco has also entered into a broad cross-licensing agreement in a number of electronic fields with the Western Electric Co., including the patents of the Bell Telephone Laboratories and the AT&T,” Carmine stated. “Our work on printed circuits is rapidly progressing, and one plant is already concentrating on this type of production. Philco has also developed machinery for the semiautomatic production of its ‘surface barrier’ transistor and is turning out substantial quantities of these devices. We are confident that further refinement of this equipment will make possible mass production of the ‘surface baiTier transistor so that it will become available in large volume and at relatively low prices for use in both military and civilian electronic equipment.” C. Russell Feldmann, the financier prominently identified for many years with radio industry projects, currently reported negotiating sale of his National Union Electric Corp, to Sylvania (Vol. 10:45), was a principal in deal this week whereby Bohn Aluminum & Brass Corp., Detroit, purchases assets of Reo Motors Inc., Lansing. Bohn has agreed to accept contract between Reo and Henney Motors Co., of which Feldman is pres, and chief stockholder. Henney, which offered to buy Reo for $16,500,000, has assigned contract to Bohn. Division chiefs of National Bureau of Standards’ new labs in Boulder, Colo., under director Dr. Frederick W. Brown: Kenneth A. Norton, radio propagation engineering; Dr. Harold A. Thomas, radio standards; Dr. Ralph J. Slutz, radio propagation physics; Russell B. Scott, cyrogenic engineering. Dr. Harold Lyons, asst, chief for research of radio standards div., also serves as chief of microwave standards branch. This week, Norton was also awarded Franklin Institute’s Stuart Ballantine Medal for propagation research. Price of pure silicon has been reduced $50 a pound by DuPont, now costs $380 per pound. Principal electronics use today is in rectifiers, but several firms are now producing silicon transistors and diodes, and some predict it will eventually supplant germanium for these uses because of its easier availability and ability to withstand high temperatures and to work at high power. Racine Mfg. Co. Ltd., Granby, Que. (Bernard Koken, plant mgr.), manufacturer of household refrigeratoi’s, was licensed this week to produce and distribute Oljmipic TV sets in Canada, under both Olympic and Racine brand names. Col. W. Mack Thames, asst, chief of engineering & technical div., named chief of signal plans & operations div.. Office of Chief Signal Officer, succeeding Brig. Gen. Reginald P. Ljunan, retired. V. J. Cooper promoted to Marconi chief engineer, advanced development, at Chelmsford plant as of Nov. 1, succeeding E. Green, retired but continuing on consulting basis. Clarostat Mfg. Co., Dover, X. H., acquires Campbell Industries Inc., Chattanooga. Both make resistors. George Campbell continues as gen. mgi\ of Campbell Industries. Brig. Gen. Paul A. Neal (ret.) joins Western Union as communications consultant after 36 years with Signal Corps. n George Ashley Campbell, 84, ex-Bell Labs scientist and pioneer inventor in electrical communications, died Nov. 10 in Essex (N. J.) County Hospital.