Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

TV-FM HICHLISHT IRS: Highlighting this week's IRE annual meeting in New York, the preponderance of IV and FM exhibits and papers dispelled any doubts as to today's major technical concentration on those fields. and pointed to broadcasting's future commercial status. Some 3,000 engineers jammed the Astor Ballroom Thursday to hear CBS's top TV men detail techniques of the uhf color TV. Leading off v/as Dr. Peter C. Goldmark, the netv/ork's research chief, 1946 recipient of IRE's Morris Liebmann Memorial Medal. Crux of Goldmark's paper was that CBS v/as putting out a uhf TV signal as strong as that radiated by most pov/erful New York TV station with one-fifth the power, using a Federal commercial model transmitter. Elimination of ghosts, he said, is achieved by adjustable receiving antenna. RCA engineers presented papers on electro-optical systems, projection methods for home receivers. Image Orthicon, improved Kinescope. Zenith's Deerfield tests, to prove case for widening FM band, were related even as FCC that day v/as releasing its decision against v/idening. Other FM papers dealt with GE's Phasitron tube. Finch's "rocket antenna" for his VVGHF. Exhibits included DuMont 20-inch cathode tube, Sherron custom-built TV control console, RCA grounded-grid FM transmitter, GE high frequency antenna. AUT0-T0-ii02'''3S VIA FI'l: Auto-phone FM equipment, employing ordinary dial handset, v/as successfully demonstrated Thursday in New York by Fred M. Link Corp. Conversation between roving car in Central Park and DuMont's Madison Ave. labs used 152-162 me band. Link claims 50-mile range, negligible interference and "near future" autoto-auto, aut o-to-home , local and long-distance conversations by dialing into existing telephone lines. THAlilSMlTTSH DATSS: Delivery dates are beginning to be named by FM transmitter manufacturers. Federal's Norman Wunderlich told. FCC at hearing last week that Federal will begin shipping 250-watt, 1-kw and 3-kv/ transmitters last v/eek in March. He also said 10-kw transmitters would be available in July. Material has been ordered for at least 170 transmitters, he stated. RCA was not so specific. Dr. C. B. Jolliffe said RCA transmitters would come off line "this summer and fall." Previously, GE had announced that 250-watt transmitters would be available March 1, and 1-kw and 3-kw units April 1. TEMCO reported almost immediate deliveries. m COHVSRTSH: A Small, inexpensive converter, to enable present-day FM set owners to tune in new high FM band, is due Feb. 1 from Hallicraf ters Co. Selling for ^15, the converter measures only 3x3x4 inches and fits into most cabinets easily. It can be installed by average servicem.an, or by handy set owner, Hallicraf ters states. hm VISV/S: This v/eek 's conditional FM grants number only 11 which, added to the 13 of last week, brings total to date to 290, all listed in our Cumulative Log Supplement No. 28 herev/ith .... Attesting to Philco's belief in future of FM and TV, is the appointment this week of William E. Bradley as director of research. Bradley in 1937 helped develop wide-band amplifiers for TV receivers, more recently played a leading part in developing the new Philco Advanced FM System. He succeeds David B. Smith, recently elevated to v.p. in charge of engineering .... Emerson v/ill concentrate on low-price TV receivers, which it expects to produce in 1946, according to President Ben Abrams in report to stockholders .... Don Lee's pioneer experimental TV station W6XA0, Los Angeles, shuts down Feb. 18 to shift to Channel No. 2, on which it starts March 4 .... P. W. (Judge) Seward, former FCC asst, chief examiner, has hung out shingle as a Washington radio attorney, with offices in Earle Bldg Back in radio law practice with Hogan & Hartson, after service in Navy, is Lt. Comdr. Corwin R. Lockwood.