Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

13 Electronics Reports: Business & Defense Services Administration was formed Oct. 1 by Commerce Dept, as liaison between Govt, and business. In addition to taking over defense functions of old NPA, Commerce Secy. Weeks announced it will be “listening post and sounding board for bringing business information and business opinion on vital matters relating to Govt, and industry, including reports on business conditions, to the direct attention of the Commerce Dept, for appropriate action.” Agency is temporarily headed by career employe Horace B. McCoy. It will include 25 industry divisions, most of them transferred from NPA, each to be supervised by industry advisory council composed of “top echelon” businessmen. Director of each division will be businessman serving without pay. Director of BDSA’s Electronics Div. has yet to be chosen. Donald S. Parris, former chief of NPA Electronics Div. is deputy dir., and his staff, transferred from NPA, includes industry specialists William Dulin, Edward W. Glacy and Charles Fess. Note: NPA Electronics Div. has been cut back from maximum of 92 staff members to current total of 5 in BDSA. Other divisions have been similarly sheared. Many of the staff members have gone to private industry posts. Some, recently severed from NPA jobs through budget cutbacks, have acquired intimate knowledge of electronics and other industries — especially in fields of market research, management procedures, statistics, personnel administration. If you’re interested in people with these qualifications, we’ll be glad to supply you with further information on request. * £ * ❖ Challenges faced by electronic engineers today, as outlined by Motorola exec. v.p. Robert W. Galvin in address Sept. 28 to National Electronics Conference, Chicago: (1) Transistors — “When [they] are available with a reliability equal to that of tubes, and a cost less than tubes, or when the over-all use of transistors will result in lower manufacturing costs for consumer electronic equipment of satisfactory performance, then transistors will be used in very large quantities.” He expressed hope “that some thoughtless set manufacturer will not resort to the drama of a misleading sales promotion scheme and introduce transistors into TV sets before they become a reliable and dependable device.” (2) Printed circuitry and automation — Before maturity can be reached “new concepts in mass production must be learned and accepted by production managers,” and new developments must offer something more than mere novelty. (3) Military equipment — “We have learned that we can do almost anything the military wants us to do, but we haven’t learned how to help the military determine what they shouldn’t want to do.” (4) “Reliability is much more than ruggedizing receiver tubes and component parts. [It] must begin with the basic concept and design of the equipment and its functions.” Magnetron-powered uhf transmitter appears to be in the works by RCA — but it’s probably at least a couple of year's off. Progress toward harnessing magnetron for uhf was described Sept. 29 at Chicago National Electronics Conference when RCA tube engineer D. E. Nelson discussed developmental 10-kw continuous wave magnetron oscillator designed for use in uhf transmitters. RCA magnetron has thoria dispenser-tvpe cathode which remains stable at very high temperatures, allowing operation at high power. It tunes 785-845-mc by adjusting diaphragm to vary capacitance within a tuning cavity which is coupled to one of the magnetron cavities. RCA has already announced that its 10-kw uhf transmitter, available next year, will use tetrode tube (Vol 9:36). Magnetron seems most likely to show up in 50-kw transmitter, which RCA engineers say is at least 3 years off. Electronics employment will hit peak levels toward end of 1953, Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast in study released this week. Decline next year will be determined by extent of cuts in defense procurement, especially in aircraft. Other conclusions in BLS survey: In mid-1953, almost 200,000 electronics workers were engaged in defense production. If defense output were completely curtailed, industry would have to double its current TV set output to maintain present employment levels. As defense program subsides in future years, it’s doubtful that TV-radio production — at least until mass production of color sets — could take up slack, nor will increasing production of commercial and industrial electronics maintain today’s high levels, in BLS’s opinion. Nevertheless, even if defense production slackens considerably, employment in industry will probably stabilize at higher level than preKorean period. Productivity of electronics workers is increasing. For example, electronics output in 1952 was 300% higher than in 1947 but was produced by only 40% more workers. Automatic manufacturing processes are expected to further increase output per man. New traveling-wave amplifier, said to be most compact ever developed, was described at Chicago National Electronics Conference Sept. 29 by RCA tube engineer W. W. Siekanowicz. Designed for output stage of microwave transmitters, new RCA developmental tube measures 9/16 by 8%-in., and “provides higher gain, more power and wider bandwidth than the triodes and klystrons normally used.” Efficient opei’ation at 700 volts is claimed. It uses permanent magnet for electron-beam focusing. “Mariners Pathfinder,” first adaptation of big-ship type radar for small crafts — tugs, workboats, yachts, motor launches, small fishing vessels — introduced this week by Raytheon at undisclosed “moderate price.” Five Canadian private TV grants were recommended this week by CBC’s board of governors — tantamount to authorization, though subject to cabinet confirmation. The grants: Calgary, Alberta, Ch. 2, Calgary TV Ltd., company formed by local Radio CFAC, CFCN & CKXL; Edmonton, Alta., Ch. 3, CFRN; Kingston, Ont., Ch. 11, CKWS; Kitchener, Ont., Ch. 13, Central Ontario TV Ltd., formed by Famous Players Canadian Co., CKCR & local businessmen; Saskatoon, Sasic., Ch. 8, CFQC. Two applications— CHEX, Peterborough, Ont. (Ch. 22), and CFCY, Charlottestown, P.E.I. (Ch. 13), were recommended for deferment. Also revealed this week was CBC’s plan to build second Montreal station, to be programmed in English, leaving CBFT as French-language station. RCA transmitter has been ordered and target date is in December. CJBR-TV, Rimouski, Que. (Ch. 3), with French programming, is reported preparing for April 1954 debut* [For list of other Canadian CPs and target dates, see Special Report of Sept. 12.] Electronic detectives have bootleg TV owners on the run in Britain. British Postoffice Dept, recently displayed detection equipment it uses to ferret out TV sets whose owners haven’t paid the $5.60-a-year license fee which supports BBC. Equipment was shown at big radio exhibition which was held in London recently — and its presence there was warning of accelerated crackdown on tax-evading viewers. A Postoffice spokesman implied that the psychological effect of equipment is probably more important that the actual detection, since the publicity given the mobile unit, when it comes to a community, usually causes a flurry of tax payments. In one town, the mere announcement that detector truck was coming produced 900 applications for licenses. Postoffice officials explained Scotland is particularly difficult area to collect fees — “even after they’ve bought a set they feel it’s unwise to invest in a license until they’re sure TV is here to stay.”