Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

12 Trade Personals: Frank Folsom, RCA pres., to be guest of honor at dinner given by chairman David Sarnoff Dec. 14 in Waldorf-Astoria, N. Y., celebrating Folsom’s 10th anniversary with company; about 350 men have been invited to blacktie affair . . . George Laux, ex-Federal Telephone & Radio, named mfg. v.p., National Co., Malden, Mass.; E. MacDonald Nyhen, ex-NPA Electronics Div., now in charge of National’s industx-ial sales; R. A. Van Valkenburgh, ex-DPA electronics office, in charge of govt, sales . . . Robert C. Sprague, chairman of Sprague Electric, North Adams, Mass., retires as pres., Associated Industries of Massachusetts, after 2 years in post . . . C. E. Burnett, ex-kinescope equipment sales mgr., promoted to new post of mgr. of CR & power tube operations div., RCA Victor . . . Daniel J. Webster, ex-Westinghouse, appointed marketing mgr., Raytheon equipment div., Waltham, Mass. . . . Kenneth G. Gillespie, Jenkins Music Co., Kansas City, elected chairman of TV-radio committee, National Assn, of Music Merchants; Ted Leyden, HockettCowan Music Co., Fresno, elected vice-chairman . . . Erik Isgrig promoted to new post of adv. v.p., Zenith Radio . . . F. D. Pinotti, chief engineer, Kimble Glass Co., elected v.p. . . . John H. Hocter resigns as sales v.p. of Jewel Radio, now in bankruptcy (Vol. 9:48) . . . James A. Egan, exBendix appliances, appointed Chicago district sales mgr., Magnavox . . . Justin R. (Ted) Sypher, fox-mer secy., DPA Electronics Production Board, now field engineer, Micamold Radio Corp., Brooklyn, with offices in Wyatt Bldg., Washington. * * * * Distributor Notes: Philco appoints Boyd Distributing Co., ex-Motorola Denver outlet, replacing Walter Slagle Co. . . . Allied Appliances Inc., Denver, relinquishes Admiral franchise . . . Arvin appoints D’Elia Distributors Inc., Bridgeport, Conn. (Charles A. D’Elia, pres.), replacing Capital Light & Supply Co., Hartford, now CBSColumbia; Harris Supply Co., Mobile (M. T. Harris, pres.), replacing Moore-Handley Co., Birmingham; Ogilvie Hardware Co., Shreveport (R. S. Ogilvie, pres.) . . . CBS-Columbia appoints Roberts & Knapp, 210 Boone Ave., Spokane, replacing Love Electric Co. . . . Bendix Radio names Lynn Dickerson Co., Houston . . . Simon Distributing Co., Washington (Zenith), opens branch at 405 No. Warwick Ave., Baltimore (Thomas Scanlan, mgr.) . . . Stern & Co., Hartford (Zenith), announces retirement of pres. Francis E. Stern, succeeded by J. Donald Cohon . . . Pacific Mercury Sales Corp., Los Angeles, promotes Stanley Cohen to national sales mgr.; Daniel Pollack named adv. director & field sales mgr., replacing Ross Mason, now PhilcoLos Angeles. RETMA service committee, implementing its plans for public relations campaign on color for servicemen (Vol. 9:47), will meet at New York’s Hotel Roosevelt, Tue. Dec. 15, to consider color service pamphlet drafted by 2 regional subcommittees. It’s expected pamphlet will be used by manufacturers as basis for lectures to servicemen early next year. Phono record industry’s best year, with sales of $225,000,000, up 12% from year ago, is certainty for 1953, reports Dec. 1 Wall Street Journal, which lists 3 big reasons for boom: low prices, product improvements, aggressive promotions. At least 15 x-ecords each will pass 1,000,000unit sales mark this year, story adds. July-Sept. excise tax collections on TVs, radios & phonos were $17,765,000, compared with $22,729,000 in corresponding 1952 period. On refrigerators, air conditioners, etc., Govt, collected $17,637,000 vs. $22,201,000 in July-Sept. 1952. Dun & Bradstreet reports bankruptcies in appliance and TV-radio categories lead all others in retail business this year; third is furniture & home furnishings category. Electronics Reports: New “surface-barrier” transistor, announced Dec. 3 by Philco, was hailed by engineering v.p. Leslie J. Woods as “the most important advance in electronics since discovery of the point-contact transistor.” Based on entirely new method of processing germanium, these features are claimed for it: (1) Operating characteristics make possible reliable operation in frequency ranges up to 70 me — “frequencies 10 to 100 times as high as obtainable with older alloy junction transistors.” (2) Precision which can be attained in manufacture of surface-barrier transistor gives promise of real mass production of reliable transistors. Development was announced at IRE-Defense Dept.Franklin Institute meeting in Philadelphia. New production method consists of etching germanium crystals with electric current passed through tiny streams of liquid indium salt. Thickness of germanium can be controlled to tolerance of 10 millionths of an inch. Because transistor can operate reliably on 20-58 me military vhf communication band, it now makes possible “a portable military communications receiver powered solely by 2 flashlight cells,” said Woods. Philco research v.p. David Smith predicted new type transistor is “the beginning of a whole family of transistors based on this principle.” Philco statement added: “The patents on these important transistor developments will add additional strength to Philco’s major patent position in the electronic industry.” * * * * Printed circuits and automatic production of radios get thorough Wall Street Journal treatment in Dec. 4 lead article, which reports that Raytheon “is putting finishing touches on an automatic radio assembly line geared to produce 1000 radios a day, with only 2 workers needed to run the line.” To maintain that production rate by hand assembly would require 200 workers. Hallicrafters has turned out nearly 70,000 home radios with printed circuits. Motorola, which brought out printed circuit radio in 1952 (Vol. 8:31,33), sold 75,000 last year, hopes to make total of 110,000 more by end of 1953, hasn’t had single one returned as defective. Motorola plans to introduce printed circuit portables and auto radios next year. Printed circuits occupy good pax-t of December TeleTech. In addition to directory of printed-circuit manufacturers, there are articles on “Printed-Wix'ing Multiple Soldering Methods” by Methode Mfg. Corp’s Alvin E. Stones, “Embossed Wiring” by Erie Resistor’s O. I. Steigerwalt, “Economics of Printed Wiring” by Photocircuits Corp.’s Robert L. Swiggett & James F. Carberry, “Protective Coatings for Etched Cix-cuits” by PCA Electronics’ Morris Weinberg & Hughes Aircx’aft’s L. J. Martin. “Automatic transistor machinery” capable of producing 900-1200 sealed-in-glass transistors an hour are being advertised in technical publications by Kahle Engineering Co., North Bergen, N. J., manufacturer of electron tube production equipment. RCA dedicated new modern plant for engineering and development of radar techniques with ceremonies Dec. 5. Plant buildings, with 145,000 sq. ft. of floor space, ax-e located on 420-acre tract in Moorestown, N. J. Plant already employs 600. Collins Radio Co., Cedar Rapids, establishes whollyowned subsidiary, Collins Radio Co. of Canada Ltd., Ottawa, to provide technical assistance to Canadian manufacturers of military equipment. Superior Tube Co., Norristown, Pa. (tube parts) buys contx-olling interest in Fine Tube Ltd., Surbitoix, Sui-rey, one of England’s largest producers of seamless nickel cathodes (Malcolm A. Rowe, managing director).